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The differences between certified occupational therapist assistants and licensed physical therapist assistants can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a licensed physical therapist assistant has an average salary of $53,673, which is higher than the $53,296 average annual salary of a certified occupational therapist assistant.
The top three skills for a certified occupational therapist assistant include patients, home health and patient care. The most important skills for a licensed physical therapist assistant are patients, patient care, and home health.
| Certified Occupational Therapist Assistant | Licensed Physical Therapist Assistant | |
| Yearly salary | $53,296 | $53,673 |
| Hourly rate | $25.62 | $25.80 |
| Growth rate | 25% | 24% |
| Number of jobs | 105,405 | 77,253 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Associate Degree, 81% | Associate Degree, 81% |
| Average age | 41 | 39 |
| Years of experience | 12 | - |
Being a certified occupational therapist assistant (OCA) requires skills in documentation, scheduling, and verbal communication. Occupational therapists need to be equipped with patient services, health care administration, and teamwork. They should know medical technologies, highly dependent, and have knowledge about health promotion and maintenance. Some of the responsibilities of OCAs include helping clients by providing rehabilitative and other services, verifying client information, and confirming the purpose of the treatment. They record the client's progress, billing, and services rendered to be used by the occupational therapist.
A Physical Therapist assistant serves as an apprentice of a Physical Therapist. Their work is mainly to help patients who are undergoing recovery treatment because of certain sicknesses or injuries. They are the ones who are directing care for patients inside a hospital or a facility. They also treat patients who need a massage by giving them the proper exercise and recording and reporting everything that a patient does in a day. This will serve as a basis to determine their improvement.
Certified occupational therapist assistants and licensed physical therapist assistants have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Certified Occupational Therapist Assistant | Licensed Physical Therapist Assistant | |
| Average salary | $53,296 | $53,673 |
| Salary range | Between $40,000 And $70,000 | Between $40,000 And $71,000 |
| Highest paying City | Napa, CA | - |
| Highest paying state | Hawaii | - |
| Best paying company | Constellation Health Services | - |
| Best paying industry | Education | - |
There are a few differences between a certified occupational therapist assistant and a licensed physical therapist assistant in terms of educational background:
| Certified Occupational Therapist Assistant | Licensed Physical Therapist Assistant | |
| Most common degree | Associate Degree, 81% | Associate Degree, 81% |
| Most common major | Occupational Therapy | Physical Therapy |
| Most common college | Northwestern University | Northwestern University |
Here are the differences between certified occupational therapist assistants' and licensed physical therapist assistants' demographics:
| Certified Occupational Therapist Assistant | Licensed Physical Therapist Assistant | |
| Average age | 41 | 39 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 13.3% Female, 86.7% | Male, 32.3% Female, 67.8% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 8.9% Unknown, 5.8% Hispanic or Latino, 8.6% Asian, 5.2% White, 70.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8% | Black or African American, 6.6% Unknown, 4.8% Hispanic or Latino, 12.1% Asian, 9.3% White, 66.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% |
| LGBT Percentage | 8% | 7% |